The invention relates generally to the use of a dual clad high power fiber amplifier laser engine as a laser source. More specifically, the invention relates to supplying laser power to multiple beam directors using only one high power fiber amplifier laser source.
Known advanced combat air, ground and sea based platforms use lasers systems for directed energy weapons. Generally, the laser systems include a laser engine and a beam director aperture, or assembly, that directs and controls the beam being output. Typically the field of view for a specific radiating beam director aperture is limited and can not cover all space. A single beam director aperture can only cover part of the space around the aperture. For example, beam director apertures on the front, back and bottom of an aircraft can only respectively cover the areas in front of the airplane, in back of the aircraft, and below the aircraft. The physical limitations of known beam director apertures make it impossible to cover four (Π) radians of space around the beam director aperture.
However, there are many instances where it is desirable to cover the entire space around the beam director aperture. For example, a pilot may have to engage targets in the entire volume around the aircraft. Thus, typically multiple apertures are employed to cover more area. Known directed energy weapon systems include one laser engine for each aperture. Each laser engine includes a master oscillator and high power fiber amplifiers, which significantly increase the cost of the weapon system. It would be desirable to increase efficiency and decrease costs of directed energy systems, such as directed energy weapon systems, by supplying laser power from a single laser engine to multiple beam director apertures. It would further be desirable to provide the routing of laser power from a single laser engine to two or more beam director apertures simultaneously and/or sequentially.
In one preferred embodiment, the present invention is directed to a multi-aperture fiber laser system. The multi-aperture fiber laser system includes a fiber amplifier laser engine that includes a tunable master oscillator. Additionally, the multi-aperture fiber laser system includes a wavelength selective beam router optically connected to the fiber amplifier laser engine and a plurality of beam directors optically connected to the wavelength selective beam router. The tunable master oscillator outputs a first optical signal selectively tuned to at least one specific wavelength. Each of the beam director assemblies is designed to direct, or manipulate, optical signals having one specific and unique wavelength. The wavelength selective beam router receives a plurality of second optical signals output from the fiber amplifier laser engine. Each of the second optical signals has the same at least one wavelength of the first optical signal. The wavelength selective beam router then routes each second optical signal to one of the beam director assemblies based on the wavelength of the second optical signals. Thus, the multi-aperture fiber laser system enables a single high power fiber amplifier laser engine to supply laser power to more than one beam director in a highly flexible and efficient manner.
The present invention also involves a method for selectively directing laser power to a plurality of beam director assemblies using a multi-aperture fiber laser system that includes a fiber amplifier laser engine, a wavelength selective beam router, and a plurality of beam director assemblies. The method includes selectively tuning an optical signal to at least one wavelength utilizing a tunable master oscillator included in the fiber amplifier laser engine, and utilizing the wavelength selective beam router to direct the optical signal to at least one of the beam director assemblies based on the at least one wavelength.
In another preferred embodiment a system is provided for selectively directing laser power. The system includes a fiber amplifier laser engine that includes a tunable master oscillator. Additionally, the system includes a controller that controls the tunable master oscillator and a wavelength selective beam router optically connected to the fiber amplifier laser engine. The tunable master oscillator outputs a first optical signal selectively tuned to at least one specific wavelength specified by the controller. The wavelength selective beam router receives a plurality of second optical signals output from the fiber amplifier laser engine. Each second optical signal has the same at least one wavelength of the first optical signal. The wavelength selective beam router then routes each second optical signal to one of a plurality of outputs based on the wavelength of the second optical signals.